CPJ alarmed by threats against RSF Mexico correspondent

New
York, March 13, 2014--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by
threats made against Balbina Flores Martínez, Mexico correspondent for the international
press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders. On Wednesday, Flores
received a series of telephone calls in which she was told that someone had
been hired to "harm her," according to news reports.

"Mexican
authorities must launch a timely and thorough inquiry into this threat and
bring those responsible to justice," said CPJ
Senior Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. "In a country where violence
and censorship have devastated the press, authorities must guarantee that press
freedom advocates can work without fear for their safety."

Flores has filed a complaint to the
Attorney General's Office in Mexico City. Violence
related to drugs or organized crime has made Mexico one of the world's
most dangerous countries for the press, according to CPJ research.